Lately I’ve been keeping my skills sharp shooting dance. It takes me back to when I was first started shooting seriously. Shooting dance is what first taught me the fundamentals of lighting people and it’s good to return to those basics. I also had some fun trying some new processing styles.
I just received my first color roll back from the lab that I shot through my Medium Format Bronica Sq-A and I couldn’t be happier with the results . Here are some sample images, Shot outside, inside a studio and inside with window light. This was all on the same roll of Portra 160.
This is just the first step in a larger project coming down the pipeline in the next few weeks.
During our ‘educational vacation’ in Las Vegas Janelle and I had the privilege to work with Luci, a local model. We photographed her on the Las Vegas Strip while we explored.
See Janelle’s photos at http://janelleshootsphotos.com/blog/?p=3266
Over the weekend I brought the Photobooth to the Radisson Hotel in Utica for Sculpture Space’s, “Mardi Gras 2013″
It was a magical night with all the stars of Utica out in costume and masquerade but I’ll let the pictures show all of that.
All the photos can be seen and tagged on Facebook
http://www.sculpturespace.org/
Last week I photographed the Spartans Cheerleading Squad. The new uniforms they have since last season look great. Here are some of the pictures from that shoot. The rest can be seen on my Facebook Page
I also had the girls do jumps from which I made a poster for Varsity and Junior Varsity
Finally we took photos of the group throwing the flier which went quite a bit higher then my 10ft background.
and you can see a video of the above picture in my new about video.
The thing I love about photographing musicians is that often they play during the shoot and I get a private concert. Shooting Claire was different because we took photos at the Utica Train Station so when she played she filled the whole building with beautiful violin music. Her playing conjured many smiles, compliments and suggestions on where we would find the best acoustics in the building from the travelers.
It was a great shoot and even though the last violin player I photographed had been her sister I think we were able to make a wholly different set of photos. Plus I and Janelle got to hear some real violin music which is always a pleasure.
I also introduced a new product into my repertoire after this shoot which will be available in all my 2013 portrait packages. The Accordion Album.
Over the course of the last few weeks Janelle and I have been designing building and testing a new venture. A photo-booth. The challenges were to make it simple, make it fast and output a high quality product. It also had to look good and be portable.
I spent several days working in CAD software designing the initial booth housing.
Armed with the basic idea of shape and size I figured out my materials using some estimation and mathematics.
I spent the next week fabricating and finishing the frame and structure of the booth and figuring out the software issues. With Janelle’s help we were able to take this idea from planning to finished product in a little under 2 weeks. I didn’t take may photos during this time but Janelle shot video which you can see below.
Adam & Janelle’s Photo Booth from Janelle Rodriguez on Vimeo.
Finally after getting the Booth operational we debuted it at the Tramontane Cafe 5th year Tramiversary Showcase
Our open air style Photo-Booth is available for events and weddings feel free to contact Janelle or myself for more information.
Click here to read Janelle’s Blog Post about the Photo Booth
I like what Photobooth v1 can do and I’m already planning v2 which will make the auto-bot transforming sound as it’s set-up.
As a photographer, I like to have a camera on my person at all times. When I’m working, I like to have more than one. This can lead to a confusing tangle of camera and bag straps. So, when I was given the Spider Holster for Christmas, I was excited at the prospect of a system that would simplify my equipment management.
The spider clip is a two part system. The first part is a plate (or pin) that screws into the tripod mount of the camera. The second part is a belt holster that the pin locks into. I first saw the spider clip on display at the Photo Plus Expo. Intrigued, I had been wanting to try it out since. The model I was given is the SpiderPro Holster that comes with a leg pad, a thick belt, and a plate for large cameras. I was immediately impressed with the quality feel of the whole system, and a month in I am still satisfied with how it has held up. I first tested it with my DLSR kit. It was comfortable on the supplied belt but because I have a K2 bracket attached to my camera, it wasn’t very comfortable to hold.
So, I decided to try it on my walk around/ back up camera, the Fuji x100, just using the Pro pin and holster on my regular belt. I loved the way it felt, and since trying it on this camera I have used this combination every day. It works amazingly well, and I prefer it over a strap in every way. Let me also say that I am used to having items on my belt, having worked out of a think tank belt system and a carpenters belt for years, and because I am Batman.
However, I did have one minor problem. When moving from a wedding ceremony to the reception, while hurriedly packing away my equipment into my car, the x100 slipped out of the unlocked holster and took a nice dive on the pavement, sending the front of the lens flying. I popped it back together and dusted it off, and it was none the worse for wear (except a few scratches). I attribute this fall to 3 things: not locking the holster; not taking my time; and having the camera/holster on the opposite side I usually do.
Finally, I would like to try and use the system for main camera DSLR rig, but I would purchase the Arca-Swiss adapter, which would fit my bracket. I am waiting until Spider releases the hand grip attachment (which looked and felt awesome) to take that jump.
A few weeks ago I took a vacation with my girlfriend Janelle to Pensacola, Florida and got to meet her family.
Visit and swim in the Gulf of Mexico which I learned is quite cold in December.
Tour the National Aviation Museum
Ate at unique restaurants
Interact with interesting people and wildlife.
And finally fire off some fireworks for New Years.
- Good Trip
A few weeks ago I was given the chance to photograph Matthew and Livia from The End Men and it was quite the experience. Matt and Livia made the actual photography very fun with their energy and enthusiasm, also hats.
I may have complicated things for myself by trying to get the composition I wanted I took a little fall down a gorge. It was all good though, my camera was protected and I was able to climb back into position. I was able to get close to what I wanted by wedging myself between two trees and leaning these images are the result of that little misadventure.
Later they invited me to their show at the Utica Uptown. It really dug their music so it would have been worth seeing even if I didn’t have my camera.
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